Vehicle

2001 Lexus IS 300 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I got married & was looking for a sedan to replace my Honda Prelude, but I didn't want to give up the quickness and great handling. The IS 300 weighs 300 lbs. more than the Prelude but certainly doesn't drive like it. I was not afraid to buy one with over 100,000 miles because my family has owned several Lexus models. They rarely need repairs. I had to replace a cracked wheel (previous owner abuse) and found $200 for a re-manufactured one much easier to swallow than $500 from Lexus. Someone installed metal brake pads and cheap Kuhmo tires. After switching to ceramic pads and Pirrelli P Zero tires, the car is back to it's surprising potential.

Suggested Improvements

A lot of plastic in the interior (which Lexus improved with the new IS) but this car is biased toward sport more than luxury. Now if I could just put the 306 hp V6 from the new IS on my tighter suspension, we'd have a truely capable sports sedan!

† Edmunds.com received the highest numerical score in the proprietary J.D. Power 2014 Third-Party Automotive Website Evaluation Study℠. Results based on responses from 3,381 responses, measuring 14 companies and measures third-party automotive website usefulness among new and used vehicle shoppers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of owners surveyed from January 2014. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.